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Fifa's Sepp Blatter is victim of conspiracy, says daughter

The daughter of Fifa president Sepp Blatter has claimed her father is a victim of a conspiracy from "behind the scenes".

Blatter - who won a fifth term on Friday - has been under intense pressure to step down since senior Fifa officials were arrested on a string of corruption charges last week.

Meanwhile, Culture Secretary John Whittingdale has told ITV News "there would be no point" in the Football Association boycotting the World Cup unless a large number of countries considered taking the same step.

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Letter instructing $10m payment addressed to Valcke

A $10m from Fifa to an account controlled by the disgraced former vice-president Jack Warner followed a letter from South Africa to Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke, it can be revealed.

The payment followed a letter from South African FA president Molefi Oliphant to Valcke asking for the payment to be withheld from World Cup funds and paid instead to Warner to support football in the Caribbean.

The payment is at the heart of the FIFA bribery scandal - a US justice department indictment of 18 people on corruption charges says the money was paid to Warner and his deputy Chuck Blazer in return for them voting for the 2010 World Cup to be played in South Africa.

A Fifa statement had claimed Valcke was not involved, but that the payment was made at the request of the South African government and FA, and authorised by Julio Grondona, the former finance chief and long-time ally of president Sepp Blatter. Grondona died last year.

A copy of the letter published by Press Association (above) contains detailed instructions for the payment.

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